Jinchūriki Nine
by Lithius Osmius
Summary: Sasuke discovers a truth hidden from him: that he is a demon container. Further yet, he learns that Naruto and he aren't the only ones in Konoha. Both need to find the others, survive intrigue and evil organizations, and not try to kill each other. And maybe, just maybe, they might save the world. AU, Epic length, Likeable Sasuke, Non-Canon Jinchuriki.
1. A Raven for Your Grave

In an unknown area somewhere in Iwa, atop a rocky crag, stood a man—though, such a term very loosely described him. His face was split in half between black and white, a pair of eerie yellow eyes peering past a pair of extensions reminiscent of a Venus flytrap. Nearby, three silhouettes stood, one a hunched a figure while its neighbor looked rather effeminate with a single eye. And the last one…

"Any new information?" a silhouette with grey, ringed eyes questioned.

"_I wish…"_ replied the white half the multicolored man.

His voice changed tone, this one rougher and more serious. "**What information I have been able to retrieve is nothing we don't already know."**

"_Sorry, Leader-sama, I got nothing."_

Frustration tinged the leader. "I see… Any possible ideas on leads?"

"_Something like that…"_

"…**But that's only if I want to confront a Kage. They're the only ones that might have information.**"

"_How much, though, I couldn't tell you. It's a touchy question to bring them._"

The leader was silent, contemplating.

If he was honest, Nagato would say they were grasping at straws. Several years of hunting every scrap of information on their targets, all the while gathering resources… And still nothing.

From what little information they _did_ gather, Nagato knew the Kyūbi's attack on Konoha may have been a catalyst to their current quandary. Though, '_how so?'_ was a question unanswered. The leader of Akatsuki and his subordinates held theories, but nothing concrete.

What was the issue? Within a mere handful of years, the delicate balance of the Bijū created by Hashirama Senju was destroyed as the tailed beasts and/or their containers disappeared. Who perpetrated the disappearances remained a mystery

Several shinobi nations managed to retain ownership of their Bijū, but who did was still unknown. It would not do to raid a country, miss a mark, and then look like idiots while igniting an international incident. There were at least two jinchūriki confirmations and a possible third, but Nagato had expected more by this point.

"Sasori," Nagato questioned, "anything you'd like to add?"

The gravelly voice of the hunched over figure answered. "Nothing."

His partner rolled his visible eye. "Even after he checked his contacts about four times. Hn."

Sasori glared at Deidara.

Pein took a frustrated breath. "I see… Sasori, Zetsu, continue your tasks. The rest of you, continue your current assignments."

Meeting concluded, the silhouettes faded away.

* * *

Sasuke noticed two things when he came to. One was that the rock-hard ground –was that limestone?—against his back was uncomfortable; and two, his head felt like it was being split into two by a stake. He also felt freezing cold, but assumed that it night and that he forewent a blanket.

Memories of his previous fight with Orochimaru suddenly flooded forth, allowing Sasuke to quickly piece together why he felt like he got squashed by a boss summon. Then there was that strange bite—which currently begged to be scratched, like a rash. He would discover what the snake-bastard did to him, but for the moment he needed to see about the status of teammates.

"Goddamnit…" Sasuke moaned as he shakily moved from the ground to stand, a hand reaching to the curse seal to scratch it—god, it was itchy.

Eyes opened, he took in his surroundings and discovered that he was no longer in the Training Area Forty-Four.

"W-What the hell?" Sasuke shakily asked.

The shining sun was replaced with the inky darkness, and the trees of the forest with the stalagmites of a cave. And the cold he initially noted was several degrees more intense than originally thought. So cold, Sasuke thought he saw snowflakes form from his breath. A shiver running up his spine, the Uchiha wrapped himself in his arms in a vain attempt to retain heat.

_How_ the _hell_ did he stumble into a place like this?

"If the loser is behind this," Sasuke growled, "I'll kick his teeth so far down his throat he'll have to sit on a bowl of ramen to eat it!"

Though, this was rather extreme for a prank, even by Naruto's supreme standards.

"Dope, seriously, this isn't funny!" he spoke aloud, hoping his idiot teammate might jump out of somewhere or say something stupid.

When only echoes replied, Sasuke felt his stomach drop.

'_Orochimaru,_' he thought. '_Yes, it has to be Orochimaru! The sonuvabitch put me down here! But then… what happened to Sakura and Naruto?_'

He counted backwards in his head, barely repressing the panic. Once feeling settled, Sasuke rubbed his arms again for warmth and began etching out a vague plan of escape. Certainly, the first thing needed done was to assess his location, then find his teammates, and—finally—get the hell out of here.

Eyes adjusted to the darkness, the Uchiha cautiously walked about, scanning for an escape with Sharingan ablaze. His frustration mounted with every failed glance, wondering how he found the one rabbit hole not leading to Wonderland.

The sound of a stream touched his eardrums. Having little else to work off of, Sasuke spun around and proceeded to track the source of the noise… only to run face first into a stalagmite.

"Dammit!" his voice loudly reverberated, echoing innumerably. Only when the echoing stop did Sasuke realize how immense the cave really was.

With greater caution, Sasuke slowly continued trekking along, his hands held out in front to feel other rock formations that decided to jump out at him. Even with the Sharingan it was slow going, but he persevered nonetheless.

Finally, after an eternity of walking, several near trip-ups, and jammed toes, the underwater stream finally came to view. Though petite, it created a mighty sound in the enclosed space, sounding more akin to a roaring river than such a small collection of water.

"Now where to?" Sasuke questioned aloud, taking a seat to rest and rub some warmth back into his body—Kami-sama dammit, why was it so cold in here!?

As if answering his question, a soft vermillion glow began to gently shine at the end of the tunnel the stream snaked along, casting barely enough light that Sasuke felt tripping was no longer such a dangerous hazard.

"Ominous," the Uchiha sarcastically noted.

* * *

"Dammit, I just _had_ to follow the light," Sasuke foully grunted.

The raven-haired teen was beginning to wonder if he was dead at this point. It definitely explained his situation. But, if such was the case, should he be going the opposite direction of the light?

Part of his dour mood was prompted by having to cling to the side of a limestone wall, following the underground stream as it cascaded into a roaring waterfall. Reaching the steadily increasing glow became a test of endurance and strength; he had to scale rough, freezing terrain for the better part of several hours. Worse yet, for a reason Sasuke failed identifying, he was unable to use chakra to cling to walls and walk down like the tree-walking exercise.

Why his chakra chose now to fail remained a mystery, and it failed to aid Sasuke's tentative control over his fear and panic. Bad enough already he didn't know where the hell he was or where his teammates were.

"I-I-It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so damn cold!" the Uchiha complained past chattering teeth.

It definitely felt like first degree frostbite in his hands from clinging to the cave walls for an extensive amount of time.

After another eternity, Sasuke felt relief flood his chest as his sandals touched ground. Shakily, he leapt from the wall, immediately rubbing his hands in effort to restore heat and blood flow.

Taking a seat to rest and regain breath, Sasuke's Sharingan glared at the glow. At this point, he begged it was a trap. He needed something to work off the frustration building for the past couple hours. And maybe find Naruto and kick his ass just because he felt like it.

"This had better be a way out…" Sasuke groused, standing once he felt rested enough.

Finally, after so much walking, tripping, stubbed toes, and potential frostbite, Sasuke reached a door-like entrance where the glow shined brightly enough that he felt the Sharingan no longer warranted. The underground river flowed into the room through the doorway, making Sasuke groan when he realized that to reach his destination, he needed to wade through the icy waters.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the water, nearly yelping upon the cold biting into his bones. If he didn't have frostbite earlier, he would now. Nonetheless, he moved forward, trying to control his chattering teeth.

The room he entered was nothing like he expected.

The amber glow eerily encompassed a huge antechamber, big enough hold an entire block's worth of buildings. In it, the stream's subzero water collected, creating a pool that barely rose past his ankles.

However, the room wasn't what truly caught his attention. Rather, it was the giant gate at the end of the chamber. At its center, seemingly sealing the structure was a flimsy piece of paper with the kanji for 'seal' perfectly inked onto it.

Whatever thoughts of traps or lost teammates Sasuke had were immediately superseded by one question: Where the hell was he?

His thoughts, however, were overtaken with pain as the cursed seal suddenly started to painfully jolt. With a yelp, Sasuke fell to a knee, his hand clenching his shoulder so hard his nails nearly cut into his skin. Seconds later, the pain subsided. With deep, steadying breaths, he slowly rose, wondering what just happened.

"Why?" a whimpering voice asked. Jumping in surprise, Sasuke pulled out a kunai and spun to source.

It was his eight-year-old self.

"Wha…?" the Uchiha tried to get out.

"Why did mom and dad die?" the younger Sasuke cried, tears cascading from his eyes. "Why?! _Why did Itachi kill them_?!"

Sasuke bit his lip hard enough to nearly draw blood. Memories welled up unbidden, the happy times he spent with his elder brother followed by that nightmare where his happy world burned away into the flames of despair, anger, and revenge.

"_But I know why_," his younger self suddenly proclaimed. The voice suddenly twisted into a low hissing, reminding Sasuke too much of Orochimaru.

"Why?" the elder questioned, wanting—begging—to know.

"_You forgot_," the demonic child accused, raising a blaming finger. As he did, the skin of the face flaked off, revealing a familiar pasty color. "_Power. That's all there is, all there will ever be. Friends? Money? None of that matters! Just power! You forgot, didn't you?_"

"I'd never forget!" Sasuke shouted back, throwing his kunai, but it merely passed through the shade.

The little nightmare grinned, one of its eyes taking on a sinister slit, yellow. "_But, don't you remember what Itachi said?_"

"I-I…" Words couldn't form, despair gradually overtaking his soul.

"_Oh, I remember. I _always_ will,_" it hissed. "_Ha_—"

Without warning, a giant fist covered in red fur suddenly reached out of the gates and promptly smashed the evil doppelgänger, knocking Sasuke over from the shockwave of the brutal attack. The Uchiha scrambled to his feet with a splash, scurrying towards the other end of the chamber and pressing himself against the wall in panic, watching as the massive limb retreated back into the darkness.

"**Finally**," a mighty voice reverberated, shaking Sasuke's insides like a concert speaker. "**I thought it'd never shut up**."

Hearing such a lackadaisical comment coming from…whatever the thing was knocked the young Uchiha from his panic enough to calm his mind and analyze what just happened.

However, his panic renewed when out of the darkness a pair of enormous eyes with yellow irises and white pupils appeared, intently staring down at the Uchiha. Seeing the boy in fear, the beast grinned in delight, its teeth, with elongated, blunt canines, shining in the darkness.

"**Forgive the…abrupt intrusion**," it apologized in humor, its grin widening.

Sasuke squeaked in response.

The being laughed. **"Remind me to remove the garbage that the man-snake put on you. I resent such trash in my presence.**"

"W-Who are you?" Sasuke inwardly cursed. He failed restraining the quiver in his voice.

"**I am the immortal-!**" It stopped suddenly, looking thoughtful. "**That isn't of importance**. **What **_**is**_** important here is that I can help you.**"

"Help me?" Sasuke's eyebrows knitted together as he rose. "I doubt that."

"**Oh, but I can!**" there was a note of amusement from the chamber's shadowed occupant. "**I couldn't help but overhear some… **_**interesting**_** words. Revenge, is it?"**

Sasuke tried to look uninterested, but his body language betrayed him. After all, what could this mighty creature offer him in his quest to hunt down Itachi that his evil, midget self couldn't?

Another chuckle, the grin widening if it was possible. "**Yes, I can help you. Just… come a little closer. Let me get a better look at you."**

Taking a deep breath, and trying to steady his heartbeat, Sasuke took a number of steps until he stood in front of the cage, using every ounce of self-control to not shake in fear.

"What can you do for me?" Sasuke demanded, his coal eyes burrowing into the beings bigger orbs.

"**Many, many things**," it vaguely answered, the grin never receding. "**If I may, who is it you seek vengeance against?**"

"My brother, Itachi," Sasuke answered without hesitation, his Sharingan flaring in anger.

More chuckling. "**I like that. Your intensity, that is. Yes, I'll help you. Power, and lots of it. Nobody will give you more than I. But I need something in return."**

"Name it," Sasuke agreed, his thirst for revenge easily overriding his fear.

"**Oh, it's a simple request**," the being answered, its eyes crinkling in amusement. "**Come and release this seal imprisoning me, and I'll reward you."**

It sounded so easy, enough so that Sasuke wondered what kind of strings were attached. Yes, it was never that simple. Yet, what if it was? But, he was an avenger. Like his demonic image had said, there was only power. The source and cost mattered little. Power was being handed to him, and who was he to turn it down?

Having balanced the risks on his inner scale, Sasuke stepped forward.

"**That's right**," the voice softly urged. "**Come and release this seal, and I help sate your thirst for power and revenge.**"

Just as Sasuke walked within proximity of the gate (offhandedly, he wondered how something as fragile as a piece of paper could hold those massive things together), an entire flock of black birds suddenly formed from the shadows, creating a cacophony of cawing, shrieks, and hisses. The sudden intrusion forced Sasuke to leap away from the seal, entering into an offensive stance.

"I'm afraid that I must intervene," another voice reverberated, this one human.

The ravens (Sasuke was sure that's what they were) coalesced, forming a figure masked by the shadows. As the last feather fell into place, the black-cloaked individual stepped into the soft glow of the chamber, eliciting a gasp from Sasuke.

"W-What are you doing here?" the quaver in Sasuke's voice stilled as rage took the reins. "You're the one who took me here, weren't you?!"

A sigh. "If only it were that simple, little brother."

"**I was so close!** **Damn you, Itachi**!" the voice interrupted with a roar, shaking the entire cave. The sheer volume forced stray stones to fall from the ceiling and splash into the pool and for Sasuke to lose his balance and trip into the freezing water.

Another fiery-haired arm swiftly appeared out of the darkness of the gate, a fist clenched tightly. Itachi looked up just as the shadow covered his form. He calmly watched as the fist came crashing down, unmoving even when it quashed his figure. Sasuke yet again fell to the water as he watched his brother got crushed, the sudden attack cracking the ground and sending an earthquake-like shockwave rippling through the chamber, possibly the entire cave system.

"I-Is he dead?" Sasuke questioned, returning to his feet. Kami-sama, he hoped so…

"Not quite," a soft voice answered form his side.

Figures. Was it really that steep a wish to—?

Sasuke leapt away like he stumbled upon a rattlesnake, his hands instinctively entering into the horse hand-seal before his feet even touched upon the ground.

"**Itachi Uchiha, I will kill you!"** the voice roared. "**Mark my words! The moment I get out of here, I will hunt you down!**"

The elder Uchiha merely shook his head in exasperation, as if listening to a raging little child.

"Why are you here!?" Sasuke demanded while drawing upon his chakra reserves—he offhandedly wondered why his chakra was suddenly working—his Sharingan flaring angrily.

"To stop you from making an irreversible mistake," Itachi calmly answered.

"Bull," Sasuke rebuffed, finishing filling his lungs with chakra.

He blew out a fireball at his brother, encompassing his elder sibling in the glow of heat and combustion. However, when the flames dissipated, Itachi's smoking corpse remained to be seen.

Another loud sigh reverberated throughout the chamber. Following it to the source, Sasuke found Itachi off to the side unharmed. Just as he prepared another assault, Sasuke confusedly watched as his brother took a seat on a rock, calmly watching his little brother like he was in the middle of temper tantrum. Seeing Itachi so relaxed made Sasuke reenter orbit, his hands angrily flashing for another Katon technique.

"Are you so weak that you care little about the consequences of your actions?" Itachi's question was somewhere between rhetorical and insulting.

The _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_ was the largest Sasuke ever unleashed. Nonetheless, a flock of ravens exploded from his target, coalescing in front of the younger Uchiha. A hand formed from the birds that grabbed Sasuke by his shirt and then proceeded to toss him across the chamber, stopping after skidding through the frigid waters.

While coughing out water flooding his lungs, Sasuke watched as his brother finished reforming from the blackbirds. Itachi's gaze never wavered from him, his face unchanging since the start of their skirmish.

"Do you hate me so much that you'll do anything for strength?" Itachi monotonously asked.

"_Yes_," Sasuke hissed out, entering another stance.

"Even when it will kill everyone around you?" the older brother continued. "All for the sake of power you'll never taste? Naruto, Sakura… everyone?"

"I…" the preteen's anger faltered. His stance relaxed as he mulled it over, the question repeating in his mind like a broken record.

He uncomfortably realized that he almost answered 'yes.'

Sasuke refocused upon hearing his brother's sigh. "The beast's request is not as it appears."

"**Do not listen to him!"** the monster's voice warned. "**He only wants to keep you weak! Itachi wishes to keep you from my power!**"

"That's right!" Sasuke accused, once again readying for combat as his glare intensified. "You just want to ensure you stay stronger than me!"

Itachi sighed again. "Quite the contrary. In truth, I _want_ you take that beast's power. In the future, it will even be a necessity. Just not yet."

The younger Uchiha's stance slackened from shock. "What?"

"If you had opened the seal keeping that monster at bay," Itachi explained, "then what would follow is a struggle for dominance for your body between you and it. However, as you are now, you would have no hope of conquering—"

"**Shut up, Uchiha**!" the beast behind the gates warned, glaring hatred down at Itachi. "**Don't listen to him! He lies!**"

"…As I was saying, you would have no hope of winning. This Bijū would then escape and then raze whatever happens to be in its path."

"Wait, Bijū?" Sasuke questioned, a pit forming in his stomach. "As in like the Kyūbi?"

"Yes. Though, it is weaker."

"**Fuck you!"**

Sasuke rapidly looked between the two, his Sharingan long since deactivated. "I… I'm confused."

"I suppose I should start from the beginning…" Itachi seemingly mused aloud. "Firstly," the elder Uciha gestured to their surroundings. "This is your mind. Or rather… the representation of the seal that separates you and the Yonbi no Soru."

"**That's Handsome Monkey King to you, worm!**" He was ignored, much to his chagrin.

"Seal?" Sasuke asked, even more confused.

"**Dammit, I said shut up!"** the aforementioned beast desperately demanded, watching its plans fall apart.

"Yes, seal," his brother confirmed. "Lift up your shirt and channel your chakra."

Though frowning, Sasuke complied with the unusual request. However, upon expending charka, a tattoo with a spiral surrounded by two other seals suddenly appeared on his stomach, making the young Uchiha yelp at the sight and stop channeling chakra. Just as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared.

"What the hell was that?!" Sasuke demanded, dropping his shirt. "Did you do that to me?!"

"No. Our father…" Itachi patiently answered, though a glint of anger appeared in his eyes at the mentioning of the man that sired him. "He—"

Sasuke interrupted him. "What does Father have to do with this?"

Surprisingly, it was the prisoner that gleefully answered. "**Because your shithead father wanted to turn you into a weapon**."

Suddenly, Sasuke's world stopped.

'_N-No, that can't be right_**,**' he thought shakily. '_Father…H-He wouldn't_…_This h-has to be dream_.'

Yes, that's it! That explained _everything_! It was just a dream! A really, _really_ bad dream.

'_Makes sense_,' Sasuke mused, his heart rate smoothing out. '_Why would Father seal an oversized monkey in me? That's just stupid. And wouldn't Itachi be more dangerous? Yeah, just a dream._'

But why was it so vivid?

"Given up on you initial plan?" Itachi questioned the demon.

"**There's other ways. You destroyed the fastest route to my freedom, but I've got all the time in the world**," the Yonbi answered, a note of humor in his words. "**Eventually, I'll escape**."

"Yep, just a dream," Sasuke confirmed to himself.

The cave's two other denizens heard the denial. Itachi could only sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration; the Yonbi, on the other hand, was laughing it up.

"No, little brother, this is not a dream," Itachi corrected.

"Prove it," Sasuke challenged.

Itachi suddenly appeared in front of him and knocked Sasuke on his forehead (with more force than was necessary, possibly due to frustration), toppling Sasuke into the freezing waters.

"That hurt, asshole!" Sasuke accused, taking a leaf out of Naruto's book.

…And then he realized that it hurt… in what was supposed to be dream.

"Are you willing to listen now?" Itachi asked, staring down at his brother.

Sasuke numbly nodded his head.

To his surprise, his elder brother offered him a hand. The coal-eyed boy could only stare at the limb like it was a visitor from another world. After countless seconds, Sasuke took hold, allowing Itachi to help lift him out of the water.

"Truthfully, the image you see now is merely an imprint," Itachi explained. "When I used Tsukuyomi on you, it wasn't because I wanted to harm you—"

"You made me watch Mother and Father die over and over," Sasuke angrily pointed out.

"Yes, but did I harm you?" The younger Uchiha scowled, but shook his head, if reluctantly. "Although Tsukuyomi is a genjutsu meant to distort a person's perception—even as far to create an illusionary world—I was able to retool it for a secondary purpose: To put an imprint within your mind. I knew that eventually you would meet your Bijū, but I felt I needed to be there so that I might be able to explain some things before you made a rash decision."

Sasuke frowned in confusion. "But, everything you said that day… to hate you and seek power…"

"Sorry, but I had make things look convincing."

The younger Uchiha's temper rose again. "What the hell do you mean by that?!"

Rather than immediately answer, Itachi instead waved his hand in front of Sasuke's eyes.

Just as the younger of the two wondered why his brother was acting like an idiot, a memory forcefully resurfaced, so vivid that it played behind his eyes like a movie. One of him desperately chasing Itachi, activating his Sharingan for the first time…

…And watching as Itachi gave one last look before escaping Konoha, tears of regret rolling down his face.

"…You didn't want to do it, did you?" Sasuke breathed in realization.

"I'm sorry," Itachi's stone cold façade faded away, sorrow pooling in his eyes. "I loved our family greatly. But, I loved Konoha more, enough so that I destroyed our clan. However…"

Sasuke watched as his brother stepped forward, and then gently pressed a finger against his forehead. A gentle smile traced his face, one of adoration and caring. Just like the Itachi Sasuke remembered before the insanity, before everything went to hell.

"…I love you more than anything, even Konoha."

"N-No, this is… you… You're lying!" Sasuke accused, but his heart felt otherwise.

Inwardly, he hoped beyond hopes that this was the truth, that Itachi really was still the caring brother he once upon a time admired so much.

"Y-You…You…" Every accusation and curse he wanted to bring forth just holed up.

Unable to hold back the well of emotions springing from his heart, Sasuke allowed the tears to roll down his face for the first time in years. The anger, rage, and hatred he felt since that night when Itachi sacrificed his place in Konoha ebbed away, washed away by the love his brother felt for him.

At that moment, Itachi's form began to fragment into tiny blue particles, each gently floating into the air above and disappearing.

"What's happening!?" Sasuke asked worriedly.

Itachi's face suddenly turned serious. "I only have a little time left before this imprint fades away, but the things I need to say are incredibly important—not just the safety of Konoha but for the entirety of the world. You need to repeat this to Hokage-sama. Burn it into your mind. 'Raven has identified six of the nine in Konoha.' He'll understand the rest.

"Before that, however, seek out Uzumaki Naruto. Ask him about the truth regarding the Kyūbi. He may not be willing to explain at first, and if he isn't then reveal that you contain the Yonbi. It'll make sense afterwards, I promise."

"But, why did you do it that night? Why did you kill everybody?!" Sasuke desperately asked.

His older brother softly smiled. "The events behind the massacre are far more convoluted than they seem. Seek me out. I'll give you all the answers.

"And, Sasuke… I'm sorry."

The younger Uchiha sadly smiled. "I'll forgive you once I hear the truth."

Itachi's smile widened. "Then I look forward to it."

Finally, the imprint faded away, leaving only Sasuke in the cave.

The young Uchiha took a deep breath, letting out a large cloud of mist. At his side, his fists clenched.

Before his eyes, every happy moment he shared with his brother played through his mind like a movie, each as vivid as the day they occurred. The laughter, the joy… those moments where the darkness of the world simply didn't exist…

They weren't completely gone yet.

For the first time in years, Sasuke Uchiha felt the light of hope.

"Itachi, I'll find you," Sasuke promised. "And when I do, I will seek the truth."

"**And we all lived happily ever after**," the voice of the Yonbi drawled. "**God, that took forever. Could've puked at the ending too…**"

"Have something to say?" His Sharingan flared on, the red eyes angrily landing on his prisoner.

"**Not so much 'something to say' as it is 'something needing done,'**" the massive creature answered.

From the cage, as if being poured in the water, a red substance began creeping towards Sasuke.

"What the hell—?"

"**My chakra,"** the monkey answered. "**I've been meaning to get rid of that piece of garbage on your shoulder, but your pain-in-the-ass brother stepped in before I could. But he's gone now, so I can work."**

"I don't need your chakra," Sasuke growled out.

"**No option,"** the massive monkey countered with a toothy grin. "**I refuse to let the man-snake have any influence on my container. And besides, didn't you want power? Allow me the opportunity to give you taste."**

Before the Uchiha could snap back, the red substance rapidly surrounded him, rising into the air and then coiling around his body. A scream rose in his throat as his entire body suddenly felt like lava was being poured into his veins.

Son Gokū could only laugh at the sight.

* * *

Suddenly it got hot, like someone turning the heat onto max and blasting it full force. Leaves, falling from the blistering breeze, withered and crumbled while in the air; birds screamed as they took off, escaping from the suddenly manifesting danger.

All fighting stopped. The Oto team, about to finish Lee, stopped mid attack as did Team Ten in the middle of countering them.

Sakura's body quivered as her blood ran suddenly cold, despite the intense heat.

The rage… it was almost palatable, measured only by the heat that intensified with it. Her insides twisted in sickness, the feel of the foul chakra churning her empty stomach.

She _knew_ this feeling. Shallowly buried in the back of her mind was the memory at Nami, at a time when Team Seven fought desperately to live another day. However, the oppressive feeling of absolute power was replaced by the incredible heat, though the rage could almost be equally measured.

Wetting her dry, cracked lips, Sakura slowly turned towards the source.

"Sasuke…" Sakura breathed, disbelieving at the sight.

Konoha's last Uchiha was slowly standing, arms limp and bangs shadowing his eyes as the air shimmered and distorted from the sheer heat roaring off of him.

"…It burns," though a whisper, Sasuke's voice resonated throughout the clearing.

Right before everyone's eyes, the Uchiha began to transform. His canines lengthened into fangs and his nails grew into claws, giving the raven-haired boy an animalistic look. Frightening, yet equally strange, his hair shifted from coal black to a fiery red starting from the roots to the tips.

"It burns," he repeated, a note of pain within the words.

Though the Konoha genin didn't notice, the Oto-nin did. On his shoulder, the cursed seal, the mighty gift only given to a select few by their master, Orochimaru-sama, began to flake away like chipped paint and disappear into ash. A handful of seconds later, only unblemished skin remained.

Suddenly, the heat intensified, burning the leaves off nearby plants and turning the grass around his feet into embers that drifted away into the air currents. Within seconds, scorch marks began to develop around his feet.

"_It burns_!" Sasuke roared, raising his head to reveal unnaturally shining yellow eyes.

**Kill Joy no Jutsu (A.K.A. Author's Note):** I don't know what it is, but lately I've had trouble writing. I just can't seem to get things out. This has actually been in the works for a while; I just spent a lot of time making notes, jotting down ideas, but never picked up the pen to write it out. But, now it's out, and it's strangely more satisfying than a lot of other stuff I've put out there. Will this be one of my break out fics? Probably not, but this one has a special place in my heart as my first fan-fiction and I really want to get it back on the web despite whatever may come of it. That said, I've had a lot of momentum and I intend to post as many chapters while it lasts, hopefully.

Geeze, I can't help but feel nostalgic. I posted the original story when I was fifteen! It's been nearly ten years since then and it's amazing to see where I've come as a writer. I've published works, I've been trying to start my own private publishing company since then... It's just, well, I don't have words.

Okay, rambling aside, veterans that have followed me for a long time will note that things have seriously changed. As the canon series has evolved, so has this story. The demon containers have changed dramatically as have the beasts that were contained. Though some have changed, others haven't. I'll leave it to you guys to figure out who, but some may surprise you; others may not.

As according to this story, we start seeing some serious changes with Sasuke early on. I think they're a little abrupt for my taste, but of the different drafts I wrote this one seemed to work the best. I'm changing canon incredibly as it is, but Sasuke has a strong role as the deuteragonist and I can't have him turning into an avenger. I would like to stress Sasuke is not the main hero, but will feature heavily alongside Naruto and a certain female protagonist.

On a personal note, I like Sasuke as a character. I think he's well done and far more fleshed out than most characters are; from a critical analysis (those college classes on mythology, writing criticism, etc. were worth something in the end) he's actually worth reading about. Admittedly, he's emo, but that can't be helped. Otherwise, he's an excellent character.

One thing I hate is character bashing, and you will not see it any of my fics. I see it so much on the site that I can't help but feel frustrated. It's fine if you have an opinion about a character, but to outright bash on something so petty to me is the mark of being an amateur and an incapable writer. If you don't like a character, there are ways around them without bashing! Turn them into a villain! Kill them off! Do something _besides_ bash the character! Am I going to catch flak for voicing this? Probably, but I don't care. I voice this opinion because I want people to practice good writing! Rant finished.

One last thing, I would like to analyze about the chapter before I end this note, I tried to portray Itachi as more canon before all the revelations about the Uchiha Massacre, but it just didn't work. I needed Sasuke to be willing to play nice with his allies, but if I kept him dark and emo-y it wouldn't have worked. So, I made the scene more... heartwarming, I guess? I'm trying not to puke at my word choice there.

Anyways, on that note, I'd like to thank you guys for continuing to read my works even when it takes me forever to update them. The chapters will be shorter initially for this story until I build up momentum. The updates will be faster in exchange for the shorter length.

Thank you, and please enjoy.


	2. Open Soul, Lose Control

**_Author's Note_**: I decided to deviate from the norm, as everyone might see. Actually… I kind of like the idea of two different author's notes; one at the start so that I can explain my reasoning behind certain writing actions and one at the end just to discuss personal thoughts, story information, etc.

Now, as a simple writer who's just trying to have fun, I shouldn't have to justify why I do things, but I figured this was worth noting so I don't get flamed for seemingly coming too far left field. I just want to remind everyone that I have reasoning behind my every action.

Now, before writing this, many of the decisions about the storyline, after discussion amongst fellow writers, I decided boiled down to a single question: How can I justify the existence of other Jinchuriki in Konoha? Then I simply went from there. Some of the ramifications were startling even to me. Now, of the six in Konoha, two are going to throw you for a loop, but I _can_ justify their existence. Not to give too much away, but Sasuke's change into a jinchūriki set a lot of cogs into motion. This led to the next question that helped build this story: If the Uchiha were preparing for a rebellion by creating the Elemental Nation's equivalent of a WMD, who would take precautions to counter such a threat?

That said, one of those loop-throwers is in this chapter. However, I _can_ justify it. I just won't reveal how it came about until later as it is a part of the plot (or maybe as early as chapter 3? I'm still writing the scene, so we'll just have to see.). And that person will have a leading role in this story.

Now, enjoy!

**Chapter 2: Open Soul, Lose Control**

_[10 Hours Earlier]_

Greeting consciousness was always a rather interesting affair. Kind of like meeting a cheating husband—though, she did not know what that was like and hoped to never find out. Though she might prefer to be anywhere else, a wife always met the prick only because she needed to pay the bills until she could neuter him through his wallet.

"Oh, goddamn…" Anko quietly groaned.

Mitarashi would much prefer a hangover. Not only would it be isolated to her head—unlike now—it would have at least been preceded by a night of fun. The only condolence was the knowledge that a real blighter of a human being was not lying next to her in bed.

The sound of footsteps assaulted her ears, pounding at her head with each clap against the concrete floor. "Oh, thank Kami-sama," she felt unbothered to identify the individual talking to her. What Anko _did_ know was that his voice was dancing on her migraine. "We worried you weren't going to wake up."

"Shuddup," Anko moaned out, rolling onto her side and pulling a pillow over her head to vainly keep the voices out.

"But, we need to know what happened!" Despite the misery plaguing her body, Nameless Fodder made a good point. Confronting Orochimaru _at all_ was a big deal.

Mustering past every desire to simply fall back asleep, Anko withdrew the pillow from her head and moved into a sitting position, rubbing a hand across her forehead to vainly ease the unholy headache.

"Five minutes," she growled. "If I don't get my aspirin within the time limit, I will cut your balls off and then feed them to one of my snakes. Oh, and your time started twelve seconds ago."

He was back in thirty-three seconds.

Downing the medicine and five minutes to ensure it was effective, Anko felt she could reliably relay information without killing something. Before she collected her thoughts, though, a pair of ANBU entered the room, one crossing his arms and the other pointedly looking at Anko.

"I can only guess why you're here," the snake mistress sarcastically noted.

"We found you unconscious in the forest," one explained, bearing a vaguely avian mask.

"I take it you encountered Orochimaru?" the other asked.

Mitarashi growled past visibly clenched teeth. "Yeah."

"What happened?" bird-mask questioned.

"I remember… I re…" she trailed off, frowning. Strange… there was static in her memory.

Actually, what _did_ she remember?

Well, she vividly recalled leaping through the forest, scanning every nook and cranny for her target. He hadn't been hard to find him. Hell, Orochimaru did not bother hiding from her. Words were exchanged, Anko's hatred for her former sensei was strengthened, there was fighting, and then pain. Lots of that last one, too.

Unfortunately, that was also when things went hazy. The pain of the reawakened _Ten no Juin_ combined with Orochimaru's perturbing voice had made it difficult to focus. More than pain, there was burning, consuming rage—heated, boiling, frothing anger so great it blocked out everything else in a red-tinted haze. Then… nothing. Just a blur.

"Mitarashi-san?" one of the ANBU questioned.

Escaping her fragmented memories, Anko reconnected with her surroundings. The nameless probie was looking at her with unconcealed concern (Oh cute. A couple seconds. That was all he would last in _real_ combat). Though the two elites masked it well, there stances suggested they were equally perturbed.

Per her nervous habit, Anko scratched her shoulder. More specifically, where her _ex_-sensei branded her with the _Ten no Juin_.

"Your shoulder bothering you?" Nameless Fodder questioned.

"Yes, it…" Anko trailed off, suddenly noting that it was, in fact, lacking the pain imparted by the cursed seal. "…Actually, it feels pretty good."

Which wasn't right. It had been agonizing before her confrontation with Orochimaru blurred into an undecipherable memory soup. Strange…

Avian-mask, however, was able to note a discrepancy. "Mitarashi-san, the seal… It's gone."

Anko hopped to her feet in shock. "_What_?!"

When her brain fully registered those words, the _ex_-apprentice of Orochimaru rushed about the room, tearing it apart in an effort to find anything reflective. The other three ninja watched in fascination as the entire place was turned on its head, loose papers flying everywhere and various objects breaking upon contact with various surfaces.

"Dammitdammitdammit…" the special jōnin chanted throughout her search.

"Uh, Mitarashi-san…?" Nameless Fodder began, pulling out a reflective knife. "Will this—?"

It was snatched out of his hand with barely traceable speed. Anko pulled her coat back while holding the knife high, adjusting it until her shoulder came into view. The three male shinobi intently watched, waiting for the snake mistress's reaction. Finally, she fell to her knees, disbelief flooding her face.

"It's gone…" she breathed.

* * *

_[Current Time]_

Sarutobi sighed as he stared out at the sprawl of Konoha, watching from the balcony atop the Hokage's tower as people below milled about. No matter how many times the sight before him played out, the aged man marveled at the pedestrians living without worry or care, even in the midst of trained killers.

Peace. What a marvelous thing the great tree of Konoha. Though, how horrible it was that it needed watered by the blood of their fallen warriors.

Still, the sight of Konoha burning brightly with the Will of Fire was a sight that would always made his heart soar. He wished his predecessors could see the fruits of their labor after so many years, and that his successors would continue to carefully nurture the tree of Konoha.

An all too familiar chakra signature suddenly appeared on the balcony with him.

"Beautiful sight, isn't it?" Sarutobi said, unbothered to turn towards the newcomer.

"Aye, that it is, sensei," agreed a white-haired figure casually leaning against the wall.

Turning towards Jiraiya the Toad Sage and one of the Sannin, the Sandaime allowed a smile to play his lips. "You're still a couple decades too young to sneak up on me. Still, I'm glad you could make it," Sarutobi greeted as if meeting a son after a long absence.

His student snorted. "And miss the party? Nah, I figured it'd be prudent if I stuck around."

The Hokage's smile faded away. "So the rumors are true?"

"Yeah. Suna and Oto have been restless lately. You know what that means. I'm not sure when, but shit _will_ hit the fan."

Sarutobi sighed, already seeing the writing on the wall. Orochimaru's return was neither coincidence nor an isolated event.

"Thank you, Jiraiya," the old man said, looking his age. "I thought you should know, though. Your old teammate was sighted within Training Area Forty-Four. We haven't gotten the details yet, but we're looking into the situation."

The toad sage grimaced. "So, he decided to visit, huh? And with all the crap going on internationally… At the very least, we've got a nasty skirmish on our hands."

"So it looks…"

Jiraiya perked up. "On a completely different note, how are the jinchūriki doing?"

"Have you gotten my letters on Naruto?" Sarutobi chuckled, though whether it was out of humor or bitterness could be debated. "Yes, it's interesting on that side."

All humor drained from the white-haired man. "What about Sasuke? Told him yet?"

A sigh from the aged man. "No, I haven't breeched the subject. He is still unaware."

"Naruto handled it well."

"Outwardly, at least. I'm still unsure of possible internal issues. Besides, how do you think Sasuke would react to learning about his father intending to weaponize him?"

Jiraiya sighed. "On top of the Itachi crap… Yeah, that wouldn't go over well."

Sarutobi felt memories of four years ago drudge up. Of Itachi kneeling before the council, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of his home; of meeting Sasuke in the hospital afterwards, broken and betrayed. So much blood spilled that night, innocence torn asunder… all for the sake of watering the tree of peace. Why did the next generation have to suffer for their elders' mistakes?

Nonetheless, Hiruzen dared not divulge Sasuke's status to anyone per Itachi's request, not even to Komura or Koharu (though, he had a sneaking suspicion Danzo knew anyways). No, only a handful of individuals were aware of the status Sasuke unknowingly bore. Another situation like Naruto's—only, worsened by the stigma upon the Uchiha created by the Kyūbi's attack—was unnecessary.

"Talk about a crappy situation…" Jiraiya said, breaking his teacher out of his reminiscing. "Killing his family, you left him alone. But, if they stayed alive, they would've turned him into the prime weapon of their rebellion. Damned if you did, damned if you didn't."

"There was a reason why I became suspicious when Fugaku suddenly turned cooperative during our peace talks," the Sandaime said. "Though the council overlooked it, I couldn't. Itachi couldn't either. It's what led to our discovery about Sasuke."

"Danzo didn't overlook it."

"Danzo has always put his fingers into places he shouldn't. It's allowed him to be well informed."

Jiraiya frowned at his teacher. "Still leaving him alone, eh?"

"The old war-hawk has some uses. He can work in areas I couldn't normally touch with a ten-foot pole. So as long he doesn't become a weed, he can stay in the garden with the rest of the plants."

"Whatever…" the sage decided to bring things back on track. " So, what about our other Jinchūriki? Is she still—?"

"That hasn't changed either, unfortunately. I hate to call her this, but she's a ticking time bomb."

"Because of…"

"Yes. An abused pet will eventually bite back in defense. It's only a question of 'when.'"

Silence enveloped the pair, both turning to watch the civilians move about like ants.

"Jiraiya," the elderly Hokage began, breaking the silence. His somber complexion bore his waning years like weighted chains. "If these people hate Naruto so much, how do you think they'll react if they ever discovered that he wasn't alone in this village?"

The sage snorted. "Personally, I'd have camera nearby so that I could remember the looks on their faces if they did."

"Seriously."

The Third's former student sobered. "Yeah, I… don't think they'd take it well. They'd probably shun them just like Naruto."

Hiruzen ruefully shook his head. "I do what I can to protect them, but it's never enough. I passed a law to protect one of them, and the adults simply went around it. Though, Naruto's situation has taught me that silence is the best ally in regards to other two. Better the village just doesn't know."

"I'd also hate to imagine what the other hidden villages would do if they discovered it too," Jiraiya added.

"Oh, it's not hard to imagine at all," Sarutobi morosely said. "Just think about another Great Shinobi War. Only, it's us against the world. Maybe a couple allies will feel some pity for us, like maybe Suna—if they're still allies after this—but it ends the same way: with Naruto and his fellows being weaponized so that we may survive."

Sarutobi pulled out his pipe, filling it with tobacco and then igniting it with a low level Katon jutsu—he was feeling too lazy to walk to his desk for the matches.

"On that note, what have your contacts said about the Bijū?" the Hokage questioned, his pipe bobbing up and down with each word.

Jiraiya slid his hands into his pockets. "I'll be honest, I had to beg, lie, and cheat to get what I got, which isn't a whole lot—information like that is difficult to come by. But still, I can confirm that Kumo retained one, but that's all I know.

"We both _know_ that Suna got lucky, but that's probably because nobody wanted the weakest and craziest of the lot. Or, at least, that's what I think.

"With three confirmed in Konoha that leaves the last four unaccounted for. And Kami knows where. I can say with complete conviction that they're sealed away or we would've heard about a monster rampaging somewhere. Which is pretty scary when you think about it. I mean, imagine someone toting around what amounts to a weapon of mass destruction in their back pocket…"

"Unfortunate as those observations are…" the old Hokage said, breathing out smoke as he did. "I certainly agree with them."

"Sorry, old man. I wish I got something more worthwhile. But, as I said, it's rare information that I'm digging for."

Sarutobi breathed out a ring of smoke. "How is our _friend_ on the inside?"

"Quiet," Jiraiya answered. "Especially as of late."

The old monkey frowned. "His company must be on the move."

"I have to disagree," the toad summoner blithely countered. "I find it more probable that they're entering the preparing stages. You know, gathering funds, followers, information, blah blah blah. They're probably still a ways away from fully deploying."

"Any information on them?" Sarutobi asked.

The sage snorted. "Just like trying to find information on the Bijū. They're very thorough about covering their tracks, but I do know they hire themselves out for cheap. I think that old fart Onoki might be playing with them, but don't quote me on that."

"Did you get a name for our ghost organization?"

"If what I have is accurate, they're called Akatsuki."

The kage emptied his pipe. "If you could, keep an ear on the ground. You and I both know that when exceptional individuals of any kind gather, something is going to happen—_especially_ if they're all wanted criminals."

Jiraiya sloppily saluted. "You got it, sensei." He turned serious. "But, until this crap with Orochimaru-teme blows over, I'll stick around."

Both went silent, simply enjoying the sounds of the buzzing metropolis. It wouldn't be much happier soon, not with impending international disasters. They'd enjoy the sound of peace while it lasted.

* * *

Ash and steam escaped with every pant. Embers listlessly danced away around his form. The air surrounding him distorted with each wave of heat roiling into the air.

To everyone present, Sasuke Uchiha had become a messenger of hellfire.

The Uchiha's citrine eyes scanned every individual in the clearing, the remaining sliver of humanity rapidly dissolving. Nobody moved for fear of invoking his animalistic, fiery wrath like cornered animals.

"Sakura…" Sasuke's growl echoed throughout the clearing, making everybody's hearts leap into their throats—even Neji was coiled and ready to run. "Who?"

Such a simple question. But, nobody dared question the weight it carried.

When Sakura didn't immediately answer, Sasuke spoke again. "Sakura… who did this…?"

Sakura raised a shaking finger and pointed. The three Oto genin (one possessed by Ino) slowly backed away from the predator taking aim, fear present on their faces. Sasuke took a step forward, the heat exponentially increasing as his Sharingan flared on.

"Ino, get _the hell out of there_!" Shikamaru ordered.

"O-On it!" the Yamanaka acknowledged from Kin's body, not wanting to be anywhere near the coming firestorm. Once Ino's consciousness ejected from the enemy's body, Shikamaru and Chōji gathered her limp form and scurried to cover.

Neji and Tenten also quickly collected Lee, following shortly behind Team Asuma. They too could read the tide of the battle and didn't want to be anywhere _near_ the path of the tsunami of fiery wrath. Even Neji was unwilling to pick a fight against the Uchiha in his current state.

It wasn't a second too early as Sasuke rocketed forward, a trail of fire in his wake. His first target: Zaku.

"We need to retreat!" Dosu announced, moving to collect Kin.

"I can take this guy! _Zankūkyokuha_!" Zaku defiantly exclaimed, pointing both hands forward and unleashing a devastating burst of pressurized air.

Just as the debris cleared, the Oto genin felt intense heat coming from his side. Fearfully spinning to meet the demonic boy, Zaku was greeted via raking of superheated claws across the face and two more swipes across the chest, the wounds cauterizing as they were opened. Not even giving his opponent a chance to scream in pain, Sasuke followed up half a second later with a burst of fire that sent the older teen reeling the air.

His weak opponent defeated, Sasuke slowly turned towards Dosu with shadowed eyes. "W-Wait…" the Oto-genin began, backing a step away for every one the Uchiha took. "I-I'll give you our scroll. Just let us go."

Once those eyes, alight with Sharingan, locked onto him, Dosu knew there was no reasoning with the Uchiha.

* * *

Neji watched the ensuing one-sided slaughter with varying thoughts. A primal part of him screamed for escape, to run like an animal in the presence of a predator. His logical half, however, was fascinated. What kind of power was the Uchiha holding out on everybody?

"What if his attention turns towards us?" Tenten questioned.

"We fight him," the Hyūga easily answered.

Tenten gave him an incredulous look. "Neji, Sasuke just _dissected_ a guy while cauterizing his wounds. And you seriously think you can approach him, let alone _attack_ him?"

"It's possible," Shikamaru interrupted, garnering their attention. "Sasuke has to put in some focus to create any fire; otherwise, he's just blowing a lot of hot air. However, you'd have to get past his increased strength, speed, and reaction time. It'd be possible, but troublesome."

"And you know this… how?" Tenten questioned.

The Nara shrugged. "Oh, you know. Guesswork, some observation…"

"Hey, guys," Ino said. "I hate to interrupt, but where's Sakura?"

* * *

Sasuke rocketed forward, fire exploding from his feet as he went aerial. Dosu rolled to the side, his throat missing Uchiha's claws by millimeters. The jinchūriki skidded to a stop, digging his claws into the ground, igniting the dirt and debris he touched, and rocketing back into motion. Unable to dodge the attack, the one-eyed genin raised his gauntlet, deflecting the flame-imbued claws while shooting off a sound wave.

'_That should put him out of commission,_' Dosu thought, feeling a sliver of relief.

The enraged genin staggered back, clenching his eyes shut and holding his hands to ears. Seeing the opening, the Oto-nin swung his arm, but Sasuke's eyes snapped open as his hand reflexively caught the gauntlet with ease.

"_Y-You already recovered_?!" the bandaged ninja nearly screamed.

The metal rapidly heated under Sasuke's touch, smoke visibly coiling off its surface. Agonizing pain shot through the limb as the heat attacked nerves and damaged tissues. Dosu panicked, desperately trying to pull away, but failing.

"N-No! S-Stop!" Dosu begged.

The jinchūriki clenched the gauntlet, crumpling it like cheap aluminum and breaking Dosu's bones. Then he roared, unleashing a nova of ignited air, touching nearly everything nearby with agonizing heat. Teams Gai and Asuma shielded their faces or dove to cover as the nova washed over them. The bandages on Dosu's face scattered into ash revealing his scarred visage; his every hair burned away in the heat.

In a manner reminiscent of Uzumaki Naruto while in Nami, Sasuke pulled back his fist, igniting with flames so intense his shirt began burning away.

* * *

She couldn't breathe. She dared not move. Her body was a leaf in the wind, shaking uncontrollably. Her brain functions lowered to the point of prey in the presence of a predator.

It was happening again. That horrifying, vile feeling yet again washed over everything, covering every living thing in a blanket of rage and despair.

Of the different memories, pleasant and unpleasant, of Nami no Kuni, one always remained head-and-shoulders above the others: that wave of maliciousness so deep it threatened to drown the souls of all it encompassed. It never left her, that feeling that welled up every time she thought of _it;_ deep despair of knowing how weak she truly was always followed the flashes of standing on a bridge unable to do nothing but guard the client.

Now, it was happening again. It wasn't the overwhelming power that choked everything, but instead heat that embodied the wrath roiling off Sasuke. The two waves of power were similar, yet dissimilar. Both, however, still made Sakura feel exceedingly weak.

While the different teams dived for cover, Sakura hadn't. Remembrance rooted her to the spot, watching with horror-filled eyes as Sasuke tore through the Oto genin like a sickle through wheat. Her gaze only broke when the heat became too unbearable for her eyes.

However, watching as Sasuke prepared to deliver the coup de grâce whilst gripping the already broken shinobi, something in Sakura's brain kick-started.

'_T-This…This isn't Sasuke-kun,_' she mentally whispered to herself. The… _thing_ standing before her was a monster. How could she reconcile the Sasuke she knew with this beast? She needed to do something—_anything_!

"Stop," she breathed scratchily, shakily getting to her feet. She ran forward, ignoring the increasing heat as she raced towards the center of the firestorm. "_Stop_!" Sakura screamed, tripping as she scurried to the clashing pair, but quickly regaining her footing.

'_Please, _please_ stop, this isn't you, Sasuk-kun_!' the pinkette inwardly begged as she came within a stone's throw of the clashing pair, shielding her face from heat so intense the brush was browning and forest's refuse was catching fire.

The Uchiha's fist alit with flames so intense Sakura swore she was near a volcano.

"_Stop_!" she screamed, forgoing any sense of self-preservation.

Mid-punch, Sasuke paused, hands mere inches away from Dosu. The flames, though, licked his face, the sweat beading the now hairless genin's dissipating into steam.

The teams hidden at the edges of the clearing panicked upon seeing Sakura so close to the epicenter of the catastrophe. Only Neji remained relaxed, watching with an interested eye. He dared not turn on his Byakugan to get a closer look, though, not with the intense chakra in the center of the heat storm.

"_Sakura, get away from there!_" Ino cried, attempting to save her pink-haired friend, but was restrained by Shikamaru and Chōji.

Feeling hope at Sasuke's sudden pause, Sakura went on. "Sasuke, this isn't you! Pleast, stop before you become something you're not!"

She squashed the desire to reach out for him, for fear her hands would be burned. Close as she was now, she was surprised her hair wasn't catching aflame.

To everyone's astonishment, the fire around Sasuke's fist died away, the arm slowly lowering until it limply hung at his side. His eyes shadowed by his fiery-red hair, the jinchūriki relinquished Dosu, the genin stumbling backwards. Giving one last fear-filled look over his shoulder at the Uchiha, Dosu hobbled towards his teammates.

Within the clearing, the god-forsaken heat began dying down. The already ignited flames across the forest floor, bereft of their fuel, slowly shrunk out of existence. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief as cool, refreshing air swept into the clearing, relieving their overheated bodies

"Sasuke-kun…?" Sakura felt relief, but still retained caution (and tried her best to ignore the Uchiha's shirtless form). She wondered what was going through her teammate's head now that he was calming.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," the pinkette nearly jumped at Sasuke's near whisper.

When he turned to her, Sasuke's eyes no longer bore the menacing golden color, but the coal-black typical of the Uchiha clan. The red in his hair rapidly bled away to leave behind raven tresses and his animalistic features morphed back into normality.

Seeing her teammate return to humanity, she loosed a shy smile. Sasuke's lips almost tugged upwards, but turned away to face Dosu as the enemy genin gathered his team to leave. Feeling the eyes of the monster upon him, the disfigured genin dug into his pack and threw scroll at Sasuke's feet.

It mattered little that their target was sober. Dosu's nightmares would forever be haunted by yellow eyes and fire.

"You're strong," he announced, standing between the Uchiha and his teammates. "Take the scroll. We'll leave in peace."

Sasuke sneered. "When you meet that snake, Orochimaru…"

He made it a point to leisurely snatch the scroll off the ground. It was a façade, though; he was _dead_ tired. Using demonic chakra was exhausting.

"Tell him to piss off," he finished, pointing the scroll at the Oto genin.

Dosu twitched at the vulgarity directed towards his master, but said nothing, instead scooping up his teammates, placing one on his shoulder and carrying the other with his good arm. Slowly, he limped out of the clearing, much to everyone's relief.

"Wait, who is Orochimaru?!" Sakura questioned before they could leave. "Why did he attack us, and what did he do to Sasuke?"

Dosu would've shrugged if his body wasn't so damaged. "Who knows?" With that, he vanished into the tree line with teammates in tow.

* * *

When Naruto awoke from his nightmare of a certain snake-freak attacking him, it was thanks to a stick to the face.

"AUUGH!" the blond cried, pressing his hands to the spot where a knot was visible.

Looking past watery eyes, he immediately identified Akimichi Chōji as his attacker, bearing the ugly, club-like stick that rudely greeted his head. Beside him, Nara Shikamaru looked amused.

"Get up," the shadow user ordered. "There's too much troublesome crap going on for you to sleep."

The pair walked away, leading Naruto's eyesight to a group consisting of teams Nine, Ten, and the other members of Seven. Yamanaka Ino was fiddling with Sakura's hair, which Naruto noted was much shorter than he remembered. Tenten was tending a disorientated Lee (doing so by rapidly shaking him in wakefulness) while Neji hovered nearby, the Hyūga looking moodier than Naruto thought possible. All noted his presence but paid it little heed, finding their current tasks more important.

"Sakura-chan, your hair is shorter," Naruto noted aloud.

The pinkette grimaced. "Well, you know, long hair gets in the way of battle. I figured it'd be better short."

The jinchūriki decided to leave the subject at that. Underneath her façade, he could tell Sakura's hair cut wasn't a product of choice.

'_What the hell…_?' he mentally pondered. '_What happened while I was asleep?_'

"Naruto," said a certain, annoying voice.

Turning to Sasuke, the Uzumaki found him nearby, crouched on a log and without a shirt. Though completely ready to mock the Uchiha's lack of clothing as per mode operandi, Naruto was quick to clack his mouth shut at the intensity in Sasuke's gaze. It bore no ill intent, belligerence, or down-looking. There wasn't humor to be had in those eyes.

"What do you want, bastard?" Naruto questioned, frowning.

"After the other teams leave and we make camp, we need to talk," Sasuke answered in a low voice, enough the other rookies wouldn't notice their conversation.

"About what?"

Sasuke surreptitiously held up nine fingers, the action unseen by their fellows; Naruto's face scrunched in confusion. However, when Sasuke pointed a finger at him, the blonde's heart leapt into his throat. He wasn't the brightest match in the box, but he knew exactly what that meant. His heart rate calmed a hair when the Uchiha lifted four fingers and then pointed at himself.

'_Maybe he isn't talking about the Kyubi_?' Naruto hoped. A sliver of his heart, though, completely doubted the logic.

Nonetheless, he gave a shaky nod towards the Uchiha.

'_Itachi was right_,' Sasuke mentally analyzed, noting how Naruto tensed the moment the finger fell upon him. '_There's more to the Kyubi Incident, and Naruto knows something about it_.'

"Alright, we're out of here!" Tenten announced.

Lee was back on his feet, looking tired but heartened by something. Both male members of Team Seven felt mild aggravation at missing any conversations, but moved to stand with the other group. Much to Sasuke's discomfort Sakura and Ino stared and drooled at him—for the safety of his chastity, he needed a shirt and soon.

"Eh, we should get going before Ino decides to rape Sasuke," Shikamaru decided, earning an outraged yell from the Yamanaka.

When teams Nine and Ten left whilst offering half-hearted waves and good-byes (except Neji), the members of Team Seven convened.

"Let's get a camp site set up," Sasuke suggested.

"Oi, oi! What about the test!?" Naruto argued.

At that moment, Naruto's stomach growled loudly. The blond sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. In his defense, he'd been asleep for several days.

Simultaneously, Sasuke and Sakura's stomachs voiced the same sentiment, earning a blush from the pair.

"As I said, we should rest up for a bit," Sasuke pressed.

* * *

Sitting around the recently started fire, Naruto and Sasuke kept their eyes on the blaze, mentally analyzing the day's events. Nearby, Sakura peacefully rested, finally able to safely sleep while her teammates watched over the site.

For Naruto, he felt frustrated. After listening to Sasuke-teme and Sakura-chan recount the events before his waking, the jinchūriki felt useless and angry. If he had been awake, the Oto genin could have been driven off. Yet again, he cursed the snake-freak for whatever made him sleep for so long.

But, where frustration ended confusion began. Hearing of Sasuke's frightening surge of power and flames, Naruto wondered if yet again the freaky genin affected his team in some ways. Strangely, though, the power surge sounded… eerily familiar, but he couldn't place a finger on why. The answer danced on the edges of his memories and it was frustrating as all hell trying to reach out for it.

Then there was Sasuke's change in attitude. He was still a holier-than-thou, pretty-boy bastard that still sniped at Naruto, but where before Sasuke wasn't bothered to offer him the time of day, now there was approachability to the Uchiha that hadn't existed before. It was like his heart thawed, or something corny like that.

'_He's still a bastard, though_,' and that would never change in Naruto's mind.

Likewise, Sasuke was analyzing Naruto, eyeing the shorter boy out of the corner of his eye.

'_What's his connection with the Kyūbi?' _he pondered, his thoughts tinted with frustration. It was question hanging over his head since camp was built, and he felt like a hamster in a wheel trying to find the answer.

Ever since Itachi's words, Sasuke had been puzzling out Naruto's link with the massive fox, wondering how the near destruction of Konoha pertained to the village idiot. It was right annoying because he felt the answer was right there, just hanging under his nose waiting to be grasped. The biggest clue: the adults' hatred for one Uzumaki Naruto. Sasuke wasn't stupid; he saw how the older villagers—and by proxy, the youth—looked at the blond with contempt. And for what? Pranks that never hurt anyone (except their egos)? There was a connection between the Kyūbi and Naruto, but it danced out of Sasuke's grasp.

Sasuke also wondered about his meeting with Itachi and the Yonbi. Being honest, he almost thought it a mere dream, but the boost achieved through demonic chakra afterwards discounted such theories. In his heart of hearts, he hoped beyond hope that Itachi really was still the big brother that cared.

Regarding his father, Uchiha Fugaku… well, Sasuke wasn't entirely sure what to feel. Betrayal maybe? In light of Itachi's image as a beloved elder sibling remaking itself anew, the emotional sting was nearly nonexistent. Later maybe Sasuke might need to come to terms with the truth, but not right now. Other things took precedence, like discovering Naruto's link to the Kyubi and getting out the Forest of Death.

There were also the truths behind the Uchiha Massacre to espy, but considering the emotional nature of that cluster bomb, Sasuke left it to the side. When given a chance, he'd visit the Hokage. Somehow, a part of him knew the Sandaime held an answer or two.

After several minutes of ascertaining how to break what was undoubtedly going to be a sore subject with his teammate, Sasuke in the end decided bluntness was the better part of valor.

"Hey, Naruto," said blond owlishly blinked at Sasuke, surprised the Sasuke hadn't replaced his name with such nouns like 'Dumbass,' 'Loser,' or 'Dope.' Realizing the seriousness of the subject while inwardly hoping Sasuke's earlier reference to 'Nine' was merely a fluke, Naruto screwed his face into a mask of seriousness.

"Yeah?" the Uzumaki replied back.

Sasuke sighed. "I need to know something."

"What?"

"What do you know about the Kyūbi?"

Bomb dropped, Naruto felt his heartbeat spiking. Sasuke couldn't really know, could he? If not, he was still striking damn close to the nail.

'_What is it you know, Naruto?_' Sasuke mentally questioned. 'H_ow are the Kyubi and you connected? And, what does it have to do with me?_' Itachi was, above all things, shrewd. He wouldn't throw something random into a conversation because he felt like it.

Yet again, Sasuke felt the nagging sensation that the answer was closer to home than he realized.

"Ah, you know, what everybody else does," Naruto answered, shrugging to mask his nervousness. "It comes to Konoha, destroys a bunch of stuff, and then the Yondaime Hokage kills it."

The dark-haired genin frowned. "How did he kill it?"

The Uzumaki shrugged again. "Who knows? I wasn't there for it."

It was a startling surprise to discover that even Naruto kept secrets close to the vest. The blond really was more a shinobi than many realized.

Though trying to get a straight answer out of Naruto was like pulling teeth, Sasuke couldn't begrudge the blond. Certain things left scars, whether they be physical or emotional, that were forever tender. No doubt the subject left deep emotional scars on Naruto that nobody up till now noticed. And for it, Sasuke felt his respect for his teammate jumping several pegs at a time. Both of them were a lot alike.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke continued—this was something he could not afford to fail. " Look, I need to know the truth, Naruto. What do you know about the Kyubi attack that nobody else does?"

A bead of sweat rolled down Naruto's face, glistening in the firelight. He was also starting to become unruly in his interactions. "I already told you what I know."

"Does the reason have to do why none of the adults seem to like you?" A wince. Sasuke struck at a very tender spot against Naruto's emotions.

"What does the Kyubi have to do with… you…" Sasuke's eyes suddenly widened as realization dawned on him.

Naruto could almost trace the thought train's path. Panic overtook his heart.

"'Six of the nine are in Konoha.' That's what he meant!" Sasuke quoted. His shock increased severalfold.

Naruto and he were two of those six.

It should've been obvious! How could he not notice it?! Sasuke felt like finding the nearest concrete wall to repeatedly bang his head against for missing such an _obvious_ answer.

"What the hell are you…?" the blond questioned, confusion overriding panic enough to phrase half a sentence.

The Uchiha refocused on his teammate. "The Yondaime never killed the Kyubi, did he?"

Naruto was now fully panicking, seconds away from bolting. "I… he… you know, he…"

"Instead, he put it inside of you, like a container," Sasuke continued.

Sasuke thought he knew silence. Living alone acquainted him to it intimately. But, the silence following his discovery and the announcement of Naruto's status was oppressive beyond comprehension.

Carefully watching his teammate, Sasuke spied Naruto clenching his hands so tightly blood dripped from his fists. The blonde's hair shadowed his eyes from the firelight, but Sasuke almost swore that tears were rapidly building.

"I'm a monster, right?" Naruto finally spoke, his voice carrying a note absolutely foreign to his persona: despair.

Once again, Sasuke was caught off guard by how well Naruto masked his emotions, burying them so deeply that only a select few could even identify they existed in the first place. Truly, his teammate was an iceburg; all everyone ever saw was the small portion breaking the surface of the ocean, leaving the awe-inspiring truth hidden below the waves.

"I…" Naruto sniffed. "I know… that the Kyubi probably killed a lot of Uchiha—"

"_That's enough_," the Uzumaki startled at Sasuke's tone. The dark haired boy took a breath. "Look, if you're a demon, then… I would be too."

That claim met confusion, Naruto's face twisting in bewilderment. "What do you… mean?"

Sasuke smiled lightly. It wasn't condescending nor insulting to Naruto, which was strange for the blond. He wasn't used to this version of the Uchiha and was tempted to test if the person before him was under a _Henge_.

The rookie-of-the-year took another deep breath. "You're the container of the Kyubi, right?" Naruto nodded, his curiosity overriding any desire to speak. "Well, I'm the container of the Yonbi."

The bomb dropped, but Naruto didn't initially register the impact of his teammate's words. Several seconds later, though, the jaw unhinged and the eyes widened enough to look like they were going to fall out and roll around on the ground. Sasuke wished he brought a camera for moments like these.

"Y-You're like me?" Where before Naruto's voice carried his despair, it now carried the opposite. It was tinted with a hefty amount of incredulity, but the hope within couldn't be hidden.

"Yeah," Sasuke confirmed.

Naruto sniffed and the tears that threatened to fall weren't the same ones from before, bearing happiness rather than sorrow. The blond hurriedly wiped his eyes, though, mumbling about getting some smoke in them. It only served to make Sasuke chuckle.

Suddenly, Naruto presented a fist, a wide smile on his face. Sasuke looked at it incredulously.

The blonde's smile subdued, but there was something… realer about it than anything the Uchiha ever saw Naruto display. "We're… we're teammates right?"

Recognizing the symbolism of the gesture, Sasuke also smiled (his far more subdued) and raised his own fist. However, to the boys' shock, a third joined, one more delicate and feminine.

Following the appendage, two sets of eyes widened in shock to see Sakura, bags under her eyes but awake nevertheless. She gave them a soft smile.

"How much did you hear?" Sasuke whispered, almost drowned out by the crackle of the fire.

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek, once again feeling despair bubbling forth. Before it boiled over, though, he squashed it down. Sakura's fist was there with theirs; she wasn't rejecting them, even after hearing such miserable information.

"All of it," she quietly answered. "You guys are loud." Any humor her statement carried was drowned by the somberness of the situation.

"Sakura-chan, I—" Naruto was cut off by his female teammate.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," she looked downward, unable to meet the blonde's eyes. "You went through all of that, and yet…" Tears pooled in her eyes. "I'm a horrible person, aren't I? I mean, I saw it. Even my own parents! They… And… I did what they did."

"It's okay," the smile Naruto gave could've outshone the sun. "I forgive you, Sakura-chan."

She sniffled, but smiled even as she wiped away tears. The entire time, she hadn't lowered her fist from the others.

All three bumped fists.

**_Kill Joy no Jutsu (A.K.A Author's Note)_**: Well, there's the chapter. Sasuke's not an ass (as much), Sakura won't be useless much longer, and Naruto develops his comradery with his team early and much more strongly than in cannon. Oh, there's going to be kinks, especially between Sakura and the boys as she's kind of the odd one out, but that'll be later. That camaraderie is good, though, because they're going to need it. As my stories progress, the protagonists have a tendency to find themselves in ever escalating situations for some reason. I never understood why I write that way, but that's just how it goes.

Next chapter, we'll see it a bit more about the other Jinchūriki. These starting chapters will bounce around a bit scene wise, but once we get into the preliminaries, the scenes should become more linear.

All of the Jinchuriki are the lead characters of the story, not just Sasuke and Naruto, but Bee won't appear for a while or possibly until the next half of the story.


End file.
